There was only one thing I could do.
Dizzily, I sat up and shook the pain from my head. Raising my hands, I muttered,
“Magic within me, strengthen my arms,
Move this creature before it does more harm.”
And instead of Pushing, I Pulled again.
I Pulled El Diablo toward me, drawing my hands to my chest so quickly that he slid toward me just as his sword came down.
The blade pierced my chest.
Blood blossomed along my dress, spreading over my entire body. But something else took over, too.
An ethereal, white light burst like the sun, spreading from the wound in my chest and growing until I saw nothing but white. Something otherworldly carried me until I felt weightless. I felt no pain. I heard nothing.
Then something familiar reached my ears.
My father’s voice.
“It’s a trap! You have to get out!”
I faded in and out. Oliver’s screams pierced my ears and then vanished. The cavern ceiling floated before my eyes, and then I was someplace else.
Rain trickled from the midnight sky around me. Cars raced down the street, splashing through puddles on the asphalt. Between two buildings was an alley surrounded by brick walls. Within the alley was a dumpster and five figures huddled together.
The buildings shook, and inky black magic pooled from within the brick walls.
“Peter!” an unfamiliar voice shouted. “He’s coming!”
“We’ll hold him off,” my father said. “Go! Get out, now! We’re right behind you.”
A man and two women disappeared out of the dark alley, the streetlight casting shadows on them as they ran. Just my parents remained.
My mother lay on the ground, her arm curled around a bloody gash in her side. Her voice weak, she said, “It’s too late, Peter. I’m too weak. I can’t make it.”
Dad groaned, his eyes swimming with tears. His glasses were askew, and one lens had popped out. A large cut ran along his forehead, and a trickle of blood rolled down his cheek. “I can’t fight him off without you, Jenny. He’ll go after them—I can’t save them.”
Mom grunted and took several labored breaths. Her arms quivered as she pushed herself up and staggered to her feet. “Then we’ll do this together. One last time.”
She leaned against Dad, and they turned as something enormous smashed through the brick wall in front of them, spraying them with rubble. They raised their hands and chanted a spell, but I couldn’t make out the words. The vision faded from view.
White light consumed me. Pain returned, seizing my body and numbing my limbs.
I fell to the ground in a pool of my own blood, El Diablo’s sword still jutting out from my chest.
“No!” Oliver roared, crawling toward me on all fours. “Desi! Stay with me!”
El Diablo laughed. “This isn’t exactly what I was expecting, but it’ll do just fine for the ritual.”
Oliver’s hands found mine, groping incoherently as he tried to revive me. But I was still frozen. I couldn’t move. I felt nothing but agony rippling through me in sickening waves.
Why wouldn’t I die already?
Wind whipped against my face. Dust and dirt swirled around me, forming a funnel cloud that was all too familiar.
Oliver’s broken sobs rang in my ears, his warm tears dripping onto my collarbone.
The wind intensified. Bursts of lightning flashed against my eyes.
Next to me, Oliver fell silent. Then he gasped. His hands found me again, and he pulled the necklace from me, snapping the vial off. He smashed it to the ground and shouted,
“Ancient powers, I summon thee,
To gather winds and carry me,
Hasten our journey through time and space,
And bring us to our desired place!”
The storm swirled around us. My curls billowed around my motionless face as Oliver’s hand clasped my wrist tightly. Lightning flashed and crackled in the cavern. Boulders and rocks fell from the ceiling.
El Diablo shouted something incoherent.
A scorching hot vise wrapped around my leg. My body jerked forward, the agony amplifying through me. Tears streamed from my eyes, and I screamed.
The spell consumed us.
Chapter 32
MY MOTHER’S FACE SWAM into view. The wild, untamable curls we shared. Dark, stormy gray eyes. Full lips that often pulled into a smile.
“Desi,” she whispered.
“Mom.” My voice sounded far away and faint. Where was I? I saw nothing but a blinding white light. “Am I dead?”
Mom smiled. “No, dear, but you came close.”
I stared at her, my eyes wide. I was too afraid to blink. Too afraid she’d vanish if I did.
“Self-sacrifice is the strongest form of light magic, Desi,” she said, stroking my hair back with her fingers.
I leaned into her touch. “I know that.”
“Do you? Because you’ve resented me for it for a long time.”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to argue in this moment I’d longed for since she died. I wasn’t sure how I was here or how long we’d have.
“Do you understand now, Desi?”
My voice cracked. “I do.”
Mom cocked her head at me, waiting. She knew me too well.
“I understand that you sacrificed yourself to save the coven,” I croaked. “But you didn’t care about saving me.” Tears streamed down my face, and I pressed my lips together.
Mom’s eyebrows pinched in sorrow, and her eyes glistened. She swiped a finger across my cheek, catching my tears. “Desi, I never worried about you. I know you to your core.” She pressed her palm against my chest. “I know you’ll become a strong light witch. It may have taken you a little longer to find your drive for it, but I’m so proud that you did.”
“I would’ve found it sooner if you’d been here with me,” I whispered.
“Maybe,” Mom said, tucking my curls behind my ear. “But a lot of people would’ve died if we hadn’t sacrificed ourselves. And I know you wouldn’t have wanted that.”
I shook my head. “No, you’re right.”
Mom looked behind me. I followed her gaze but saw only white nothingness.
“You need to go back soon,” she said quietly.
“No!” I protested, grabbing her hand and squeezing, as if I
